Improvement in switch-locking apparatus



i UNITED STATES PATENT' OErIcEo ALPHONSO E. DIKEMAN AND JOSEPH A.LOVELL, OF HOMER, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SWITCH-LOCKING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,616, dated June 30,1874; application iiled May '2, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALPHoNso E. DIKE- MAN and JOSEPH A. LovELL, ofHomer, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Railway- Switches; and we do herebydeclare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, and being a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure -1 is a perspective view of our improved switeh, showingthe improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the improvement. Fig. 3is an enlarged detail of one ofthe locking-cams.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.

The nature of this invention relates to an improvement in that class ofrailway-switches which are actuated by an arm or equivalent device uponthe side of the locomotive-engine at the will of the engineer. Theinvention consists in a pair of safety-stops, which are actuated by theswitch-rods in such a manner as to lock the rails in position untilmoved by the levers.

To prevent t-he shifting of a selfacting switch under the centrifugalpower developed in a train passing a curve, or from any other cause, wepivot on a, plate 'secured to a tie outside the switch -rails a lever,I, or slotted cam, as seen in Fig. 3, one end abutting against therail-foot when turned at right angles with the track, and thuspreventing the movable rails from being moved while in this position,the other cam being, of course, swung obliquely away from the track. Togovern the movement of these cams, they are bent. over theconnecting-rods D, or, rather, a prolon gation of each back of thepivot. The prolongations are slotted, as shown, and through the slot apin, e, is inserted in the rod D, so that while one cam is moved by itsrod D against the rail when shifted to its new position, the other camisr swung away by its rod to permit such adjustment.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

In combination with the rods D D, the slotted cams I I and pins c c, forlocking the switchrails A', substantially as shown and set forth.

ALPHONSO E. DIKEMAN. JOSEPH A. LOVELL. Vitnesses M. W. HATCH, J EnoME B.HENsEAw.

